story of being raped oner u.s. asylum application. her attorney fired back, assisting that she was the victim of a brutal attack. >> medical evidence sports the victim's account. the forensic evidence supports her account. >> reporter: prosecutors have not dropped the charges against dominique strauss-kahn, which include and attempted rape. they plan to be back here for another hearing in the a few weeks. dominique strauss-kahn and his attorneys thanked the judge and believe the case will ultimately be dismissed. >> we've maintained from the beginning that dominique strauss-kahn is innocent of the charges. >> reporter: the frenchman's rest in may forced him to resign his international post and scrap plans to run for president in france. he can't still leave the u.s. but there's talk that he could be a candidate again. the housekeeper's lawyer said

while the prosecution may be on the verge of abandoning the victim, her defense team will stand by her side. >> and now to talk about what hatched with -- happened with the dominique strauss-kahn. good to have you here with us. jim, i'll start with you. you were listening to the case. you know how heavily it relies on this women who is the maid's testimony. in light what have happened today, where do the prosecutors go from here? >> they gutted the case. they said publicly that she made false statements about where she was after the incident, false statements on tax reports. they've gutted the case because the credibility of a witness is the key to get a conviction. if the jury doesn't believe you, you're not going to get a

conviction. the prosecutor basically took the underpinning out from this case. i think it's gutted. >> tell me this because you are sort of the ground level. you see rain victims every day. -- rape victims every day. how unusual is it for him or in some cases his story? >> it's common for rape survivors to change their story because people are coming to them with the first initial what happened, they're in shock. and that is true of any trauma survivor. you have a way to put things in place and they realize this is what i did. they're just asking out of survival mode and most of the time they're trying to get away from the reality of what happened. >> how do you make sense of what has happened in this case at this point. >> what has happened, for a lot

of survivorses is sexual abuse. what that woman did is what happened. there's been a crime committed and they have to face the fact that so much more attention gets placed on everything else about they're life and who they are. so they are folk -- so little is focused on the case. there's dna evidence that she had sexual intercourse with this kid. it would have exposed that. >> with the dna evidence, we can hear what you're saying about this, the prosecution may still drop this case, even with that dna, even with the evidence that dominique strauss- kahn says there was a sexual encounter. >> the issue is whether it was consental or if it was a forcible rape? and now with all the disclosures she may have lied and other issues, her credibility is at issue whether

this was forcible or consentual. the defense lawyer can ask a witness in terms of credibility in terms of all unrelated incidents because other situations they lied. once a liar, always a liar. >> we'll have to see what happens and if this does, in fact, gut the case. you know about this firsthand. and we don't have time to go into the entire story. but hopefully as the case progresses, both of you will come back to talk with us. thank you very much. also tonight, we're following the story of a disturbing murder in macon, georgia because of who is involved. it is likely the victim a dynamic and determined 21-year- old law grad. we're still waiting on the id of a dismember the body of a woman in macon yesterday.

>> we're monitoring a press conference that is due to start in the hour. lauren has been missing since saturday. her family is besides themselves with worry and nervous about the very manies. >> reporter: this was the scene yesterday in macon, georgia where investigators recovered a body. and this is a man that has been arrested and charged with burglary of her apartments after telling news crews he was in the residents with friends looking for lauren. his name is steven mcdaniel. >> he was afraid that someone had tried to break in thursday night. and she was afraid to stay in there. >> reporter: the police are not calling her a suspect in the disappearance. she is a 27-year-old law school

grad studying for the georgia bar. but she grew up here in laurel, where she was a well-known, stand crowd student athlete. her family has asked for privacy while awaiting word of development in georgia. >> news the suspect mcdaniel is now ordered without bail and now being called a person of interest in this case. she was just home two weeks ago for the wedding of her sister. making it she's ever done, she's done well that is from laura's stir. our thoughts are with the family tonight with the hope that's the authorities in georgia can get this sorted out quickly. >> that's right. police are searching for suspects in a stabbing incident last night in hyattsville.

one person killed and four people hurt after a fight broke out at a movie theater. >> reporter: the victim has now been identified. 21-year-old leonard smith matthews. people say that things like this happen all the time and they're happening more and more. police say that a fight broke you the between two groups of young people around 6:30 last night and somebody got involved and pulled out a knife. witnesses say there was blood everywhere. the man was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. they blame it on crime, the bad economy and young people with nothing much better to do. >> dry-cleaners had their windows smashed and car windows stabbed in the $120 a month garage. >> reporter: police have not yet released any information

about the possible suspects. nor do they have a motive. prince george's county police are leading the investigation because the other unit does not have a homicide unit. the fourth of july is here. and if you're heading out of home or staying home this weekend, we have you covered tonight. >> we're keeping an eye on the holiday traffic. but we'll start down on the national mall. they're setting up for the fourth of july festivities. >> reporter: the mall has been bustling with the energy. and you can feel it down here. everyone says being here on the mall on the forth of july is monumental. you see the stage behind me by the capital. that is where artists like steve martin and little richard will perform. beside having fun, safety is a priority. so on a hot and sunny day, that

means staying cool. so wear a hat if you have one, wearing loose fitting clothes and bringing plenty of h2o and you got to drink your water and stay hydrated. >> reporter: let's start with your commute. the traffic is sure to be and all nightmare. arriving early means a long day. thankfully, a lot of porta- potties will line the mall. avoid the long lines that are sure to be at the concession stand and bring some food for the whole day. and since it will be a hot one, bring enough water to last you. the reflective pool not living up to its name these days. 1400 pounds of pyrotechnics will be launched from either side of the pool. and if your best seat in the

house is the front, by all means, enter at your own risk of. crews will be at four different first aid tents through the mall to treat any heat related emergencies. and here's the lists of don't. don't bring a tent, a grill, glass bottles, alcohol or fire works of your own. do enjoy show. the 17 minutes fireworks display starts at 9:10 p.m. it starts at 9:10 and ends exactly at 9:27. and there will be an exodus of folks at that point. and there will be tons of traffic. so what do you do till the big show at 9:10? there will be tons of activities, family related activities on the mall.

the smithsonian folklife festival will be here and a reintactment of the signing of the independence. and they give you a copy of the deb clair racing of -- decoration of -- declaration of independence for you to take home. if you're going outside this holiday weekend, it is going to be a scorcher that could really makes thing having on the fourth of july. things will start to heat up. we're feeling the heat but it's not too bad because of the humidity. temperatures downtown 90, leaseberg, 88, barnsberg 86, and the dew point, these are really nice, in the 40s and the 50s, but they'll start creeping up, starting tomorrow. tomorrow we can expect clear

and cool again. opt windows and the lows will be 58 to downtown. beach and boating, it's that time of year, upper 80s and 90s. on sunday, 89 to 94 degrees. and we head over to the ocean, 82 to 86 degrees and lots of sunshine and winds out of the south. and for sunday, 85 and 90 and the water temperature still on the chilly side around mid-60s and southwest winds ten to 15 miles an hour. we'll talk more about the heat and how humid it will get over the holiday weekend. everyone would like to be where they're going. a travel rush underway. and monika samtani has timesaver traffic. this is a live shot from sky 9 looking at the bay bridge. on the eastbound side, traffic began to get heavy at 1:30 this

afternoon. but authorities tell me that there are three eastbound lanes available. and that is what it looks like trying to get there. but it is incident free. beyond this, eastbound 50 slows from route 113 to coastal highway. here's what it looks like on the southbound side of i90, long stretches beginning at the get way and it looks like the pass woodbridge down the triangle. and now we'll take a look over to virginia beach what it looks like in newport news. if you're planning to head on this side of the road, you're looking fine, no problems on route 64 and 264. this is north from 95 to new york city. back to you. coming up another twist in the casey anthony murder trial as the judge unexpectedly calls for an indefinite recess in the

case. we have new disturbing information on the nightclub where a beating took place, allegedly involving some washington d.c. police officers. we'll show you some dramatic videotape. more on the low tis lounge and the owner coming up next.

casey anthony trial need a recess. the judge granted a request so the lawyers could take depositions. prosecutors tried to disclaim the defense's testimony of cindy anthony and that she looked up chloroform. caylee anthony is charged in the death of her daughter 2- year-old caylee anthony. a man was beaten so severely last month that he lost an eye. the lotus lounge assault was from off beat washington d.c. cops working as boundaries. >> reporter: lotus has a troubled history and so does the owner. he has not responded to the

numerous requests for an interview. but we have obtained a slew of documents, among them records that detail the alleged assault at some of his high profile clubs and a civil suit against him because of one of the alleged assaults. and tax liens that he owed to the irs. this video shows a street fight outside low tis lounge last month. three women attempt to break it up by hitting them with their high heels. the height is the latest outbreak of violence at the downtown washington nightclub. and it happen two weeks after former football player lost his eye in an attack, a vicious beating that allegedly involved three metropolitan police officers moonlighting at the club. they have since been placed on

administrative leave. we have obtained records related to lotus lounge and four other washington d.c. nightclubs owned by romeo. lotus has a history of violence. and he had his license suspended for a day. romeo's nightclub fur has had many incidents, along with allegations of selling alcohol with minors. but the club still has its liquor license. >> romeo's club hired metropolitan police officers to workoff duty as bouncers, a violation of departmental policy. on the night walter blair was attacked, only one report was filed for an alleged assault on a police officer. and that case is pictured to go before the washington d.c. click control board this month. that is the entity that reviews

cases and determines what,if any, action is taken against a business that served alcohol. -- serves alcohol. we want to update you on the washington d.c. officer that is accused of leaving this man for leaving -- accused of leaving a child in a hot car. and another follow-up on the case of a men any van that was not stole once but twice. three men driving their car, are now arrested. the car was recovered in washington d.c. it's in good shape the tags are gone. and this thing started last week when someone took dave and laura owe connell's mini --

oconnell's minivan from in front of their house. and then 45 minutes later the van was stolen again. it's possible that minivan was taken with some sort of master key, at least the first time. the wildfire burning near the country's top nuclear weapons lab has grown to more than 4,000 acres it makes at the time largest in that state's history. but it's moving away from the town. and the fire crews are confident that they can keep the flames from spreading close to the lab. they expect the conditions to get hotter and dryer in their weather forecast. and we're bracing for hot weather around here too. >> and it will feel in the temperatures is the humidity going up starting tomorrow. so it's still warm outside because the dew points are in the 40s and the 50s. here's a live look outside the capital. no clouds out there. so it's a typical day for this time of year.

the temperatures reaching into the upper 80s and lower 90s that is the average for now. and the temperatures in arlington, 87 degrees, and gaugeberg 84 degrees at this hour. and the satellite and radar picture is showing us quiet in the area. this continues through saturday. and sunday things could change. the heat moves in and cool again tonight so open the windows and gift ac a rest. grab your sunglasses and the sunscreen for tomorrow morning. saturday starts to become slightly sticky but not too bad, but you'll notice a difference and hotter on sunday. here's a look at the futurecast. the high pressure will keep us dry over the next day or two. sunday things will start to change because we have this front coming through on sunday that could stall south of i66. we'll see some popup thunderstorms. not everyone will see them. but there's a better chance on sunday. tonight, clear and cool again.

lows 58 to 68. so around downtown, upper 60s annapolis, frederick 61, winchester 63. and tomorrow morning, really nice and pleasant. the temperatures in the 60s and the 70s, the winds light. in the afternoon it will start to heat up. mostly sunny and hot and you'll start to feel it sticky. the air quality till be and orange. so generally low 90s downtown, 89 in winchester, and annapolis it will be 87 agrees. here's how the day -- 87 degrees. here's how the daybreaks down tomorrow. a little warmer tomorrow compared to today. and here's how your next 7 days are shaping up. sunday is 94 degrees, mid- 90stor the fourth and chance for some isolated storms as

well. we'll have to watch that possibility. and the temperature there near 91 degrees and a better chance for scattered showers and storms on tuesday. so lots of water and sunscreen, everything. >> up next, prince william and princess kate steal the show north of the border. check out that hat.

it will be a shorter holiday weekend for the senate. the planned recess for next week is canceled. lawmakers will be back to business july 5th. members on both sides agree on the need to cut federal spending before increasing the limits. the key sticking point is the democrat's demand that congress close some past loopholes. penpennetta is now the secretary of defense. he wants to send a message to all the troops and the pentagon workers.

he promises to i am late his predecessor robert gates. thousands of cheering canadians turned out to see the royal couple today. they took part in canada day festivities to mark that country's 144th birthday and they attended a citizenship ceremony this morning. and katherine got some cooking lessons. and the royal couple will visit seven cities on the one day tour in north america. and the newlyweds took time out to honor prince william's mother princess diana to remember her birthday. some people left cakes and candles and others left cards. new at 5:30, cuts to medicaid in virginia kick in today making life tougher for

this single working mom and her disabled son. we'll hear from experted that they have ways that will help more and cost less.

medicaid cuts begin today. and peggy fox is here to tell us that the cuts could push

familiar lies like the one you profiled on thursday into crisis. >> that's right. but the country's massive debt has a lot of people talking about making really deep, deep cuts to medicaid. i spoke with some local experts today. and they have some ideas that will do a better job helping people that need it and save taxpayers money. >> reporter: viewers were shocked what happened to teresa hammond, a single mom who medic

but the more that people can care for their loved ones themselves, they having them in their home and that can save money. so what the experts are saying, we need to individualize this they need to look at each person's case and so what works best. that way you can give people the support they need and save money at the same time. >> it's a tough decision and tough times for sure. a man that flew across the country using somebody else's expired bordering pass appeared in federal court today in los angeles. he's a nigerian american charged with being a stoa away. he passed through multiple layers of security and made it on a virgin flight. he had no tie to terrorism. but they found ten more

boarding passes with different names when they searched his bag. a stowaway on a flight from anchorage scared passengers. this is a scorpion and stung passenger jeff he will list. >> i was -- ellis. >> i was like all my god, it's a scorpion. >> i looked down and the tail wagging in the map kin. i -- napkin. i jumped up and hit the call button. emts met the plane. and except for a little mark, he was fine. they are offering the couple

for two free round air tickets for their score scorpion problems. you'll see a monthly increase of 4.86 on your monthly electric bill that means the average bill will be 108.77. hamilton beach is recalling 177,000 two slice toasters. it can ignite and cause a fire. the toasters were sold across the country and in all kinds of stores from february of 2008 through june of this year. if you have one of these, you want to stop using it immediately and contact hamilton beach for a free replacement. and the holiday weekend is here and that means millions of us would celebrate. but the fourth of july can pose

its share of dangers. and we have steps that you can take to make your gathering a safe one. food, fire works and fun are a big -- fireworks and fun and are a big part of your holiday but take caution with the sparklers around the water and the grill. remember about the dangers of fire works. and the commission said there are 200 injuries every day from sparklers and homemade explosives. the small sticks are like dynamite. for fireworks approved for consumer use, keep a bucket or a hose close and keep children at a distance and keep the pets indoors. the last blast can easily scare them. before you let the kids take a splash into the water have them swim with a buddy. make sure to assign a designated watcher to keep an eye on them and a big safety

plus, a fence around the fool with a gate alarm. and install anti-intrapment drain covers. so don't get burned by a case of food poisoning. and the usda said that one out of six people get sick from e. coli and other food-borne illnesses every year. don't keep them out for more than an hour. the steps are all part of making sure that your july 4th is happy and safe. if you look at our deckout, you will not see a grill. that is because the firefighters say that grills and decks do not mix. if you decide to strike up the bbq, keep your grill ten feet away from anything that can catch fire and that includes your home. we've done countless stories about decks that cash fire and catch the home on fire. it is a mess. you don't want to do that we have a bunch of other stuff on

our website to keep you safe this weekend. fireworks are not allowed. and with this fourth of july weekend, you want to make sure what is in and what is out. up next what started as a normal night at a new orleans convenience store takes a dramatic turn when a young father walks in with his son. 9 news now continues on the eve of the holiday weekend.

a new orleans man accused of robbing his store with his five-year-old son in toe. it shows the man into the store before 1:00 a.m. on monday. they buy a couple of things and they leave. they come become a couple minutes later. and the father comes back and the boy comes back in but leaves while the father is at the counter. he looks like he's buying oil for the car and then he forces his way behind the counter. they arrest the man and the boy is now with his mother.

a puppy is recovering after someone stabbed her several time in her face. hospital staff said this is one of saddest cases of animal abuse. >> she is absolute doll, very sweet and giving kisses to our lead tech in the icu and is happy to go on walks, although you can tell it's still painful. but she wants to crawl in the lap for the people that care for her and she's doing really well. a super sweet girl. >> diamond should make a full recovery. hopefully he's have a nice, new home. we've covered all kinds of things. we've covered bears, deer and dogs on the road. but authorities on the jersey shore are asking drivers to keep an eye out for a back

babboon. officials at six flags say that it may be one of theirs but they're not sure because the animals are not counted daily. really? >> who new? a rode side bomb left this marine sergeant with burns over 70% of his face and body a program that is helping veterans like him heal. >> reporter: and temperatures slightly above normal today. at regan international, 91 degrees. and we'll feel the humidity and the heat through the holiday weekend. i got your full forecast coming up after the break. >> reporter: skipper davie johnson will manage his first

game tonight. his thoughts including what the heck is wrong with jayson werth. that is coming up when 9 news now continues after this [ kate ] if this icelandic mud could work wonders on my skin,

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and breaking news out of the district. this video has just come into our newsroom of a rowhouse fire. the fire broke out in the 900 block of decatur street northwest. and we don't know of anyone that is injured. but we'll continue to follow the story and bring you any other updates as we get them. the fourth of july is deep in patriotism and one that we should remember our troops. tonight we want to introduce to you a plastic surgeriry program that helping more of those veterans mend that have disfiguring wounds. >> reporter: this sergeant considers himself lucky to be

alive. six years ago his truck rolled over a roadside bomb. >> three of us made it out alive. one of my marines told me i was engulfed from head to toe. >> reporter: he suffered third degree burns over 70% of his body military doctors amputated one of his hands and fingers on the other one. he went home, healed but badly scarred. sanchez thought there was nothing more he could do till he heard about operation mend. the ucla program provides reconstructive surgery to veterans at no cost. >> they've been through a tremendous amount. >> reporter: using skin from his forehead, rib cartilage and other, he was able to construct nose, and cheeks. >> i'm at a loss for words at times. how do you talk about somebody whose done so much for us and

taking his time and giving back to us and giving us a little piece of mind? >> sanchez said that operation mend made him look better, it made him feel better about himself. 48 service members from all branches of the military have been held by operation mend. go to wusa9.com and click on the health page. and we should point out how much the armed servicemen do themselves. >> what a great program. let's move on to the juicy details of a competition that is the talk of the neighborhood. it's the third annual burger eating cham shop. the win -- championship. during regulation, accusations of cheating ensued. one of the burger eaters was found to be dipping his burger

in water and breaking off chunks of burger instead of eating the entire sandwich. we have the slide show of all the action on our website, wusa9.com. didn't they eat like 17 of them back to back? how do you that? do you eat to be a pro eater? >> and some of them are tiny people. >> i can put them down. a great burger eating weather tonight. we have the temperatures in the 90s. but we can deal with this when the dew points are low. so 90 in downtown. gaugeberg 86, culpepper 88, and annapolis 83. and southern maryland you're 86 degrees. it's a nice night. satellite and radar showing us not a lot going on. and the pattern continues

through saturday. tonight clear and cool again and open the windows, lows 58 to 68 degrees. around downtown, upper 60s close to 70. and andrews air force base 64. tomorrow morning is a nice start. temperatures in the 60s and the 70s. lots of sunshine. in the afternoon, it's going to heat up and you'll start to feel the humidity go up and the dew points. so slightly sticky and air quality code orange. highs around 90 degrees. and the low 90 downtown. cumberland 86, annapolis 87. also, i want to talk about the autism 5k run on july 4th. it's the intersection of rivers and falls roads to benefit autism speaks. topper shott will be out there early. so we're heating more on

sunday, 94 degrees. it will feel hotter. and the humidity going up. the 4 of july holiday -- fourth of july holiday, fourth of july, chance of storms. the team is moving on. >> davy johnson is in charge. he took over the team in california. but tonight it is his first home game. and we're at the ballpark with the new skipper. >> reporter: the skipper an hour away from the first game. you got nothing left to prove in the game of baseball, three world titles and the manager of the year. and yet you leave the comfort of a front office job to come down here and live the nightly ulcer of managing in the major

leagues? why would do you that to yourself? >> you think i would get smart. i like this club. it's got a lot of talent. but the makeup on everyone on this ball club is off the chart. >> for people that don't remember the last time that you managed and before that with the orioles and the mets, what is your style? are you a beat them over the head guy? >> i think i'm a little of both. i understand what a player goes through. and i think my job is to do anything that i can to maybe take pressure off the players and put them in situations where they can do really well. >> what is wrong with jayson werth. he got 126 million. and you were throwing batting practice to him in l.a. can you identify what is wrong with him and fix it? >> i think what is wrong with jason and several other guys. they want it so bad that they're trying a little too

hard. and i think he's trying to do a little too. once he gets in a comfort zone, i think a lot of guys -- once they sign a contract with a new club, they try to do too much. this is not the first time. >> rehab is on and ahead of schedule. would you like that see him wait? >> you know, the doctors know best. you don't want to sit on a guy's development coming back from an injury. jordan zimmerman is throwing the ball exceptionally well. >> and the one thing that you have clearly learned this time around, you've learned how to not hit the buffet as hard as you used to when you were younger. >> hopefully you get smarter as

you get older. >> half the day of i didn't johnson he used to be. welcome home. half of davie johnson that he used to be. this transformed a 33-year- old olympic swimmer from a comer into royalty. head spinning developments today in the rape case against the once and potentially future contender for the french presidency, dominique strauss- kahn, now free to return here to his $4 million georgetown mansion, even as the lawyer for the alleged victim accuses prosecutors of abandoning her. blach

it is the other royal wedding of the year. here's more. >> reporter: she's the first princess of monday cosince grace kelly. share lynnwood stock -- charlene woodstock married one of the most eligible bachelors in a civil ceremony. he has fathered two children.

albert finally proposed a year ago to the 33-year-old south african olympic swimmer. and today's exchange of vows puts an end to the speculation that she had cold feet. a crowd of the rich and fame husband is expected -- famous is expected. while kate middleton uses princess grace's gown as inspiration for hers, her wedding was a far cry from this three-day affair. >> very much more bling. in england we were trying to play down the grandier of the wedding and no monday co, they're plaguing it -- monday co, they're playing it up. >> reporter: and if monday cois looking --